Crow
by HalfbredAssassin
Summary: Crow is a wanderer, banned from her village because she was different. The Company arrives, and she finds herself helping them. When they barely escape, they wash up at the shores of Laketown, where they meet Bard. During their stay, Crow notices thst she's not the only one with demons. Will she stay and protect Bard and his family? Or will she help the Company defeat Smaug?
1. Prolouge: Bravery is like a Torch

**Okay. So I've been having troubles with my other story, so I decided to kind of switch things around. Yes Crow is going to be in this story but her background is going to change. And this time I'm not deleting it, even if it does suck balls.**

**I do not own the Hobbit characters. But I do own Crow, Aitzebar, and Leonne. **

* * *

_"Mama please don't let me go to bed. I'm afraid of the dark." the little girl pleaded, looking at the older woman with large gray eyes. The Shadow Walker, or Leonne if you prefer, saw the fear on her face. It's been 4 years since she found the small 4 year old, who is now barely 8. It warmed the huntress to know that Crow(a name that Leonne came up for her since her hair was as black as a crow's feather.) trusted her enough to call her a mother. Smiling softly to Crow, Leonne took her hand off the doorknob and walked over to the child's bed. _

_"And why are you afraid of the dark?" Leonne asked, furrowing her eyebrows together. It feared the old woman, to know that she can't raise a future Shadow Walker if she was afraid of the blackness. Crow looked at Leonne with watery eyes, and a single tear fell down her cheek. Reaching to wrap her small arms around Leonne's neck, she began to cry softly into her shoulder. _

_"Whenever it's dark, I can see the flames that destroyed my home. I can see the haunting face of the orc who killed my parents. It was dark when I was alone... and I can't stand to listen to the silence..." She cried, and Leonne can feel the tears soak through her black shirt. The Shadow Walker could feel the pain that wrenched inside the girl, She understood the nightmares that haunt her very dreams. To have her parents killed in front of her at such a young age is very wrong... VERY very wrong.  
_

_But Leonne had to be strong, be the warrior that she was raised to be. Taking Crow's body in her arms, she pulled the black haired girl back and looked directly in her eyes. _

_"But you are not alone my dear one." Leonne said, stroking her hair back. "Though your parents may have died, you were never hearing the silence of being lonesome. Fear is a terrible thing. But I see a strong girl in you Crow, a strong girl who won't let such a thing take over her. But you're letting it take over you, which is very bad."_

_"Why is it bad Mama?" _

_"Fear is like a plague... It takes over you, damaging what's on the inside and finally leaves, leaving you a wreck that wasn't supposed to happen. I too was afraid of the dark, but you know what my father told me one day? When I refused to go hunting him?" she said, giving her a small smile. Crow's eyes widened and she leaned in closer, obviously interested. _

_"He told me that my bravery could ignite a fire to light a path for me."_

_"What does that mean?" _

_"It means that though it may be dark, my bravery can-" she gave a sigh, "Do you know what a torch is? Yes?" _

_"Yes I do." _

_"Well bravery is kind of like a torch. It's meant to light the way so that you can see. You're afraid of the dark, so you light your bravery and trek on through the blackness, and in the end you'll be safe." Leonne said with a smile. Crow appeared to be thinking for a little bit, and then a small smile appeared on her lips. _

_"I'll remember that." Crow said, then gave Leonne a strong hug, making the huntress smile as well. _

_"But can you sleep with me just this one time?" Crow pleaded, causing Leonne to laugh a little. _

_"Yes I will." _


	2. Chapter 1: Secret is revealed

**HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY NEW CHAPTER :D Okay, I am totally feeling confident in this story. I am starting to realllllyyyy like where this is going and UGH. As some of you may know, I am a total fan of Bard the Bowman, especially since Luke Evans plays him. :3333 What motivated me to do a fanfiction is because there are like, NOOOOO Bard fanfics! And I'm like WHUT. So, I'm going to make one. Yes yes!**

**This is going to be mostly based off the movie, but here and there I will weave in the book, but a very lovely person mentioned that I must not quote the book word for word, so I'm going to make up most of the stuff... if that's okay. I don't want somebody saying that I'm doing this wrong and that I need to change my perspective on things. It's kind of annoying.**

**The beginning half of this chapter is going to be Leonne's P.O.V. But the rest is going to be from Crow's P.O.V. I might a few things here and there from Thorin's, Bard's, or Bilbo's P.O.V. but it's going to be REALLY rare. **

**Enough blabbering, PLEASE ENJOY AND LEAVE NICE REVIEWS. Thanks. (:**

**I don't own the Hobbit characters, but I do own Crow, Aitzibar, and Leonne.**

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_Knock Knock! _

The sound caused Leonne to snap her head up from the table, her mind instantly awake from her deep slumber.

_Knock Knock! _Jumping at the sound once again, she shot up to reach for the door but stumbled on a empty bottle of rum (from which she drank last night). Mumbling to herself, Leonne tried to control the throbbing pain in her head by rubbing her temples, but the sound continued on and it made it MUCH worse. Last night Crow was sent on a mission with her hunting group and they had to stay over night. Though that was common for the Shadow Walkers, it still worried the old huntress. In fact it worried her so much that she grabbed the last stash of rum from her pantry and nearly drank the whole thing. Maybe the knocking was from Crow, who was anxious to tell her mother all the exciting stories.

"Coming!" she said irritably after the third knock. Rubbing her forehead that ached from being slept on all night, she stumbled a few steps on a few more bottles and tried to regain her balance. "Did I not teach you patience child? You know I'm not as young and spry like I once was." Leonne growled, ready to smack the side of Crow's head when she opens the door. But when she did, it wasn't the familiar black hair and gray eyes of the child she raised, But the cold blue eyes and gray hair of Master Adlar. Adlar and many other older men are Elders of the Village, meaning that they keep the rules and manage the punishments for those who have broken those rules. To see an Elder at any ones doorsteps meant that there was something wrong and when she saw the familiar looks of Adlar, she knew something was wrong.

"Hello Leonne." Adlar's voice rumbled, the very words dripping with sarcasm. It really didn't surprise Leonne, knowing that both Adlar and Leonne had a rather... complicated alliance. She couldn't help but smirk at the man in front of her and slowly shake her head. His unkindness to her made her immune to the harsh words, it's rather quiet amusing.

"What is it?" Leonne asked, finally looking up and tilting her head to the side. But the man didn't answer her question, just shoved past her and walked right into her kitchen. She then knew instantly that he spotted out the rum bottles.

"Adlar, let me ex-"

"Oh, no need to. I already know." Adlar said, picking up one of the rum bottles and examined it. Though his face was calm, she could tell in his eyes that he was angry. She sighed and leaned up against the door frame of the kitchen. Already there was tension between the two...

"Why? Why do you do this to yourself?" Adlar hissed, turning his full attention on her now, but that didn't phase the woman.

"I think I asked you a question first." She replied sarcastically, then her eyes turned to slits. "And why is it _you _that is bearing me this mysterious news?" she asked, stepping in and pulling a chair our from under the table to sit on. At first Adlar didn't say anything, but glare at the huntress. But then he too pulled the other chair and sat down across from her, his arms folded across his chest.

"Do you really want to know why I'm here?" he asked, giving her a cold smile. She couldn't help but roll her eyes and fold her arms as well. The two stare at each other for what seemed like hours, but it was only minutes before Leonne shrugged. _  
_

"I don't know, maybe to apologize for the way you made my life a living hell? Or better, to say that you have a heart and will probably make it better?" she asked back, her eyes full of pure hate. The man returned the same look and snorted disgustingly.

"No that's not the reason." he said with poison in his words, which also didn't surprise Leonne. Adlar was a man who did not show affection or emotion very well, unless it was anger. How Leonne knew about that, well... it's a long story. He leaned in closely to her so that his face was just inches from her. She could feel the heat of his breath on her lips and tingles fell down her spine. The last time that she felt the familiar breath was years ago, and the memories were starting to crawl back into her mind.

"The reason why is because of Crow." he said harshly, then pulling back instantly as if he wasn't close to her. Leonne felt her stomach drop and her throat go dry. _  
_

"It's not because she got killed. Heavens no." Adlar said, as if he just read her mind. Giving a sigh of relief, Leonne couldn't help but smile. But Adlar did not return that smile, instead his expression turned harder.

"She is an excellent fighter, trained by one of the best. Her fighting skills are immense and her archery is beyond measure. She is probably one of the best warriors in our new batch of Shadow Walkers. But... there is a problem." he said. Just when she felt the weight of worry leave her shoulders, she felt it beginning to press back down again.

"Crow is not a born Shadow Walker. Her bloodlines are far more different then those of the village. You think you could hide those markings on her arms, but trust me... we aren't as dumb as you think we are. In fact, we had thoughts far before the markings came. When you arrived with a random child by your side, at first I thought that you found a man. But seeing that no man looked anything like her, we knew instantly." he said, a greedy look on his face caused her to shiver. What he meant by markings is when Crow barely turned 20 years old, ancient markings were beginning to randomly sketch themselves into her skin. It got to the point where they started at the area near her collar bone down to her wrists. Leonne knew that Crow was a different race the moment she found the lost infant and she knew that if they were to see these markings, the suspicions were going to raise. That's why whenever Crow went out into public, Leonne made sure that a long sleeved cloak covered every inch of her body. But like Adlar said... the disguise wasn't enough for them to spot the markings out.

"What are you going to do to her?" Leonne asked, her voice suspicious. She has heard of the consequences of those who are not born of Shadow Walker bloodlines, and she knew that they weren't good.

"You know that group she's hunting with?" he asked, and instantly Leonne knew where this was going. Instantly shooting up from her chair, causing her chair to fall back, she withdrew her hand and slapped it across his cheek. The loud _slap _echoed through the house, and a bright red hand print showed on the side of his head.

"DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME THAT YOU HIRED HER GROUP TO KILL HER?!" She screamed at him, and when he didn't say a thing, she slapped him again.

"HOW COULD YOU ADLAR?! HOW COULD YOU BE SO HEARTLESS AND SELFISH TO RUIN ME LIKE THIS?!" she asked him again, screaming at the top of her lungs. The tears were beginning to burn at the corners of her eyes, making everything around her blurry. He just looked up at her, the whole right side of his face a bright pink.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" she bent down to stick her face in his. When Leonne tried to look into his eyes, all she saw was nothing. Scoffing out loud she turned away for a minute, trying to regain her cool. But the anger seemed to have snapped like a stick. She was beyond angry, she was furious. Turning back to look at him, she bent down again.

"Oh, I know why. It's because you're a heartless BASTARD!" she yelled at him again. Her throat was beginning to grow raw, but she didn't care. How could he do such a thing to her? Does he not remember that she has feelings? Especially for those who she cared for? "You're going to make her face the same fate my son did? You remember him Adlar? The boy who got killed by a raid of spiders? The one I raised by myself? Your SON?!" She screamed at him again, but this time it wasn't her that slapped him. Adlar too shot up and swiped his hand across her cheek, causing her to fall directly on the table. His large hands grasped around her neck, applying pressure on her windpipe. And before Leonne could do anything, her sight went completely black.

* * *

The wind raced through her midnight black hair, it's cool fingers brushed against her pale face. All she heard was the thundering of Aitzibar's hooves underneath her and it was calming to the young girl. When Crow passed her test to become a Shadow Walker, Leonne gave Aitzibar to her as a gift. Aitzibar was a tall, masculine, and extremely fast horse. His coat was a midnight black with four white stockings and a white star. He was a loyal companion to Crow and the two were the best of friends. It was kind of silly to those that Crow hunted with, but she would often have discussions with Aitzibar. She just felt as if Aitzibar could listen to anything and will keep it a secret from the world. Now here they were on their daily hunt, barely just returning from the northern side of the forest, and were returning to the aid of their group.

"It appears that there are no spiders today boy." Crow said as the two weaved through the winding paths, passing by trees and bushes in a blur. Aitzibar's ears flickered back to her voice and he gave a low snort, as if he too was agreeing with her. "Which is very odd because Adlar and the others were telling us that they were multiplying. Maybe they got afraid and went to another forest... which is highly doubtful." She rambled on, but it felt good to her. When she saw the familiar flea bitten gray mare and her blonde headed rider(who was Aline, another good friend of Crow's), she smiled widely and nudged Aitzibar to go faster. But when she arrived, she didn't see the bright smile that Aline wore, but instead saw a look of worry. Drawing her eyebrows together, Crow stopped her horse by Aline's and reached foreward to see if she was alright. But her friend withdrew from Crow's reach and a tear began to fall down her cheek. She saw hurt in Aline's brown eyes and Crow couldn't help but feel the same way.

"What's wrong?" Crow asked softly, but Aline didn't answer, all she did was look away from the gray eyes of her friend. "Was it something I did?" Crow asked. Aline still didn't answer. Instead sounds of twigs snapping surrounded the two, and Crow looked to see her other Shadow Walkers approaching on their horses. Some of them withdrew their swords, arrows, and even had clubs held tightly in their hands. _What is going on? _thought Crow, an eyebrow cocked and her head tilting to the side. Did they just get back from a hunt and forget to put their weapons away? Or was something behind Crow that she should be aware of? But she didn't look back... because something told her to _run. _

"What are you guys doing?" she asked, and she could hear Aline sob softly behind her. When Crow looked back, she could see the pain on her friends face. Pain that looked like it hurt beyond measure... it looked like betrayal.

"I'm sorry Crow." was all Aline said before the others charged their horses after Crow. But Aitzibar was a bit quicker than the others. Turning sharply, the two raced back the way they came from. Crow's heart raced along with Aitzibar's hooves. Why were they attacking her? What did she do to deserve this? Then the sudden realization hit her. _They found out... Does that mean that they hurt Leonne? _Panick strucked the girls heart and she kicked Aitzibar's sides harder. She had to get there before Leonne was harmed. But she was soon cut off by one of the Shadow Walkers, causing the young girl to cut her path and take a different direction. She saw two Shadow Walkers on both sides of her and Aitzibar, and it seems as if they were starting to close in on her. Regretting her decision, she withdrew her longbow and arrow and managed to shoot one of them in the leg. The other one slammed his horse into Aitzibar's side, causing him to loose his footing and trip. Crow felt herself flipping over her horses neck and landing on her back with a hard _thud. _But before she could jump back up to see if her horse is alright, the Shadow Walker(who's name was Bairn) pinned her down with a hard shove of his large hands. He held a knife to her neck, threatening to slit her open if she dared to move.

"B-Bairn! What's wrong with you?!" Crow angrily spat out at him. But all he did was smile greedily at her. "They said you weren't a born Shadow Walker. They promised that they would pay whoever kills you first, and I'm going to make sure it's a slow and painful death." his voice shook, as if the whole world in front of him disappeared right before his eyes. He was not the Shadow Walker that Crow hunted with before. She never knew that her end would be like this, and she closed her eyes as soon as she felt the blade press harder to her throat. But the weight was soon lighter on her and she could hear him screaming something and being dragged off. When she opened her eyes, she saw herself face to face with a Spider. It's gleaming eight eyes boring down her two gray ones before it grabbed her body and began to wrap it up in a thick white cocoon made out of spider webs.


End file.
